Earth害羞草研究所檚 string of 13 straight months with a new average heat record came to an end this past July as the natural El Nino climate pattern ebbed, the European climate agency Copernicus announced Wednesday.
But July 2024 害羞草研究所檚 average heat just missed surpassing the July of a year ago, and scientists said the end of the record-breaking streak changes nothing about the threat posed by climate change.
害羞草研究所淭he overall context hasn害羞草研究所檛 changed,害羞草研究所� Copernicus deputy director Samantha Burgess said in a statement. 害羞草研究所淥ur climate continues to warm.害羞草研究所�
Human-caused climate change drives extreme weather events that are wreaking havoc around the globe, with several examples just in recent weeks. In Cape Town, South Africa, thousands were displaced by torrential rain, gale-force winds, flooding and more. A fatal landslide hit Indonesia害羞草研究所檚 Sulawesi island. Beryl left a massive path of destruction as it set the record for the earliest Category 4 hurricane. And Japanese authorities said more than 120 people died in record heat in Tokyo.
Those hot temperatures have been especially merciless.
The globe for July 2024 averaged 62.4 degrees Fahrenheit (16.91 degrees Celsius), which is 1.2 degrees (0.68 Celsius) above the 30-year average for the month, according to Copernicus. Temperatures were a small fraction lower than the same period last year.
It is the second-warmest July and second-warmest of any month recorded in the agency害羞草研究所檚 records, behind only July 2023. The Earth also had its two hottest days on record, on July 22 and July 23, each averaging about 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit (17.16 degrees Celsius).
During July, the world was 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer, by Copernicus害羞草研究所� measurement, than pre-industrial times. That害羞草研究所檚 close to the warming limit that nearly all the countries in the world agreed to in the 2015 Paris climate agreement: 1.5 degrees.
El Nino 害羞草研究所� which naturally warms the Pacific Ocean and changes weather across the globe 害羞草研究所� spurred the 13 months of record heat, said Copernicus senior climate scientist Julien Nicolas. That has come to a close, hence July害羞草研究所檚 slight easing of temperatures. La Nina conditions 害羞草研究所� natural cooling 害羞草研究所� aren害羞草研究所檛 expected until later in the year.
But there害羞草研究所檚 still a general trend of warming.
害羞草研究所淭he global picture is not that much different from where we were a year ago,害羞草研究所� Nicolas said in an interview.
害羞草研究所淭he fact that the global sea surface temperature is and has been at record or near record levels for the past more than a year now has been an important contributing factor,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭he main driving force, driving actor behind this record temperature is also the long-term warming trend that is directly related to buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.害羞草研究所�
That includes carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.
July害羞草研究所檚 temperatures hit certain regions especially hard, including western Canada and the western United States. They baked, with around one-third of the U.S. population under warnings at one point for dangerous and record-breaking heat.
In southern and eastern Europe, the Italian health ministry issued its most severe heat warning for several cities in southern Europe and the Balkans. Greece was forced to close its biggest cultural attraction, the Acropolis, due to excessive temperatures. A majority of France was under heat warnings as the country welcomed the Olympics in late July.
Also affected were most of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and eastern Antarctica, according to Copernicus. Temperatures in Antarctica were well above average, the scientists say.
害羞草研究所淭hings are going to continue to get worse because we haven害羞草研究所檛 stopped doing the thing that害羞草研究所檚 making them worse,害羞草研究所� said Gavin Schmidt, climatologist and director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who wasn害羞草研究所檛 part of the report.
Schmidt noted that different methodologies or calculations could produce slightly different results, including that July may have even continued the streak. The primary takeaway, he said: 害羞草研究所淓ven if the record-breaking streak comes to an end, the forces that are pushing the temperatures higher, they害羞草研究所檙e not stopping.
害羞草研究所淒oes it matter that July is a record or not a record? No, because the thing that matters, the thing that is impacting everybody,害羞草研究所� Schmidt added, 害羞草研究所渋s the fact that the temperatures this year and last year are still much, much warmer than they were in the 1980s, than they were pre-industrial. And we害羞草研究所檙e seeing the impacts of that change.害羞草研究所�
People across the globe shouldn害羞草研究所檛 see relief in July害羞草研究所檚 numbers, the experts say.
害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 been a lot of attention given to this 13-month streak of global records,害羞草研究所� said Copernicus害羞草研究所� Nicolas. 害羞草研究所淏ut the consequences of climate change have been seen for many years. This started before June 2023, and they won害羞草研究所檛 end because this streak of records is ending.害羞草研究所�
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.
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The Associated Press害羞草研究所� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP害羞草研究所檚 standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Alexa St. John, The Associated Press
